Nicolas Altstaedt - Salonen: Cello Concerto & Ravel: Sonata for Violin and Cello - The Art Music Lounge

This program is not only stimulating but musically complementary. The Salonen Concerto, in its own strange way, sheds light on the Ravel Duo and vice-versa. Indeed, I found it interesting that, in a way, Altstaedt pulls back a bit on his luscious tone and commanding style in the Ravel piece in order to complement Kuusisto’s bright and tightly focused timbre. I think the cellist can indeed be quite proud of his disc; it represents his performance abilities remarkably well in works that are still considered cutting-edge.